Road chair



July 12, 1932. c, j 1,867,096

ROAD CHAIR.

Filed Jan. '7, i951 Patented July 12, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARL H. RIBB, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, 'ASSIGNOR TO PARKER WIRE GOODS COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS ROAD CHAIR V Application filed January 7, 1931. Serial No. 507,2(19.

This invention relates to devices for spacing and supporting the reenforcing rods used in cement road'work and in other cement constructions. It is customary to assemble these reenforcing rods into a mat and to support the mat at a desired heightabove a foundation surface. In some constructions, two such mats are superposed in spaced relation. 1

It is the objectof my invention to provide an improved support or so-called road chair": by which such a mat of reenforcing rods may be quickly and easily assembled and firmly supported in spaced relation with reference to a foundation surface 01' toanother mat.

A further object is to provide a road chair made of sheet metal in such form thatit may be conveniently applied at any intersection of assembled rods without the necessity of threading any rod through an opening in the road chair.

A further feature of the invention relates to the provision of a locking member by which the rods and chairs are firmly secured together.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

' A preferred form of the invention is shown 'in the drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved road chair;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation thereof, looking in the direction of the arrow 2 in Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is a perspective view thereof;

Fig. 4 is a partial front elevationof the locking member; e I i Fig. 5 is a partial front elevationof a single mat roadchair;

Fig. 6 is a partial side elevation, looking in the direction of the arrow 6 in Fig. 5, and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a slight modification. i r

Referring to the drawing, my improved road chair comprises three parts, namely a base 10, an upright supporting member. 11 and a locking device 12. The supporting member '11 is preferably formed of sheet met-- a1 bentto the substantially U-shaped cross I section indicated in F igs. '1 and 3. At its lower end the member ,11 is provided with lugs 14 adapted to be inserted in slots 15 (Fig. 3) inw-thesheet metal base- 10'and to be bent laterally againstthe'under side of. the base 10 asindicated in Fig. 2. v

In this way the supporting member 11 is firmly secured to the base 10. If desired, however, the lugs 14 may be omitted and the parts 10 and 11 maybe secured together by welding or brazing or in any other convenient manner.

The supporting member 11 is provided I with'openings 20 and 21 formed in one front corner and with openings 22. and 23 formed in the other front corner. ,As indicated in the drawing, the openings20 and 22, as well 7 as the openings 21 and 23, are spaced vertically'to bring them out of horizontal alignment and they overlap at their inner ends so that a passage is provided between the two openings. This passage is not essential but arises from the desirability of having the intersecting reenforcing rods R and R closely adjacent at theirintersecting points. The openings are preferably substantially equal in height to the diameter of the rods. 5

The rods are inserted in the corner openings, as indicated in Figs. 1' and 3, and the locking member 12 is then inserted to prevent displacement thereof. The member 12 comprises a staple or U-shaped member formed of a single piece of wire and is adapted to be inserted from above in front of the rods R and R and in the inner corners of the supporting 'member- 11. By this simple means, the rods are firmly securedin assembled relation, displacement thereof :being substantially impossible without withdraw-.

ing the locking member 12.

While I have omitted the rods R andR. in the lower openings 21 and 23 in Fig. 3 for. the sake of clearness, it will be understood that a second series of rodsis to be placed in the lower openings and that they will-be held in place-by the same locking member 12. These lower rods are clearly indicated in Fig. 2.

It may be noted that the opening 22 is placed at a higher level than the opening 20 while the opening 23 is at a lower level than the opening 21. This causes the two reenforcing rods R extending in one direction to be disposed between the two rods R extending in the opposite direction. This arrangement, while convenient, isnot essential and the lower openings may be arranged as indicated at 24 and 2 5 in Fig. 7.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown a'road chair supporting a single matof re- In this construction, have adapted for enforcing rods. indicated the base as being formed integral at its front edge with the loweredge portion of the .upright supporting member 31, these parts being formed from a single piece of metal, and the base being bent backward around the lower front edge of the upright supporting member in assembling the-parts. P Lugs 32 on the side portions of the support ing member preferably extend through slots in the base 30 as "in" the construction previously described@ The corner openings 35 and 36 are formed substantially as above described but are indicated as having square corners to receive"reenforcing'bars B of rectangular cross section instead of the round bars R previously described.

' It will be understood that either the single or double chain may be provided with the square corners shown in Figs. Sand 6 or with the round corners shown in Fig. '3 to suit operating conditions.

" The lock'ng member 38 for the single chair is the same as the member 12 for'the double chair,except that the legs are of less length. The locking members 12 and 38 are preferably broadened slightly at their upper por-' tion, so as to have. a snug sliding fit as they reach locking position. 7

Having thus, described my invention, it will be seen that I have provided a firm and rigid road chair'which may be quickly and easily applied and which will be firmly retained in position after thelocking 'member 12 or 38 has been inserted. f It is ofparticular advantage that additional chairs may be applied at any, desired points after the mat has been assembled, as it is not necessary to thread any of the, reenforcing rods through the "openings inthe upright members 11'or 3 1, but the chair may be readily slipped into positlon by free movement in the direction of thearrow a in Fig. 3. r

For some classes of work,'the',chair may be further simplified and the cost reduced by entirely omitting the base member 10 or 30 and the'lugs 14 or 82, permitting the lower end I of the upright member 11- to rest directly upon the foundation. Such a construction 1s satisfactory where the foundation presentsa sufficientlyuniform and even surface, but the use of the base 10'or 30 is advisable where the foundation presents considerable irregularity.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof,'I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is tweeneach rod and the adjacent inner corner surface of said'supporting member.

2. The combination in a road chair as set forth in claim 1, inwhich the opening in one corner is in a different horizontal plane from the opening in a second corner in'a difierent lane. I 3. The combination in a road'chair as set forth in claim 1, in which the opening in one corner is at a different horizontal plane from the opening in a second corner in, a different plane, said planes being separated by substantially the diameter of the reenforcing bar to be supported. I 4'. A road chair comprisingan upright sup,- porting member formed of sheetmetal, anguadjacent corners thereof to receive reenforcing rods obliquely disposed relatively to the front face of said supporting member, and a portion insertable vertically between each rod and the-adj acentinner corner surface of said supporting member.

5. A road chair comprising a sheet metal upright supporting member of angular cross section having open-sided corner openings to receive reenforcing bars arranged in two vertically spaced mat layers, anda single locking member effective mat layers to said supporting member.

6. A road chair comprising a sheet metal upright supporting member of angular cross section having open-sided corneropenings to receive reenforcing bars, a singly locking member insertable verticallyeffective to secure said bars in position, and a base towhich said supporting member is rigidly secured, said base being slotted and the supporting separate U-shaped locking member having a v to lock the rods in both member being provided with lugs adapted to be inserted in said slots and to be displaced laterally to secure said parts together.

7 The combination in'a. road chair as set in. one piece with 'the upright supporting member, said basev being bent rearward forth in claim 6, in which thebase is formed around the front lower edgeof said member,

and in which the base is provided with slots and thesupporting member is provided with lugs on its side portions adapted'to extend through said slots and to be displaced laterallyunderneath said base. 7 A road chair comprising an upright up-- 1:0

fixed my signature.

CARL H. RIBB. 

